Destiny & War
by MioneW
Summary: Harry, Ron and Hermione embark on their mission to destroy Voldemort with the help from some long lost relatives and old friends. Can they fulfill their destiny in a time of war?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 The Party.**

From his place at the window of his bedroom, Ron Weasley could see everything that was going on in the back garden of The Burrow.

The twins, Fred and George, were spinning their girlfriends Angelina and Alicia around on the dance floor. Mr and Mrs Weasley were stood, proudly watching their eldest son Bill and his new wife Fleur dance slowly to a tune that consisted of several, rather difficult and upbeat dance moves, they must have been so happy and in love that they hadn't realised the change in music.

Harry was sat watching Ginny. It had been 2 weeks since he had ended their brief relationship. He didn't want to. Ron had the distinct feeling that Harry had fallen for the youngest Weasley, but, Harry being Harry, had decided that it would be in her best interests if they broke up. That way, Voldermort wouldn't go after her just to get to Harry.

Harry had been quiet ever since, but then he wasn't just pining after Ron's sister, he was also grieving for their late Headmaster, Professor Dumbledore. They all were. The loss of such a powerful wizard had rocked their world. It was huge tip in the scales in the fight between good and evil.

Of course, the loss had been worse for Harry. He had been with Dumbledore that night. He had seen Snape, their former defence against the dark arts professor, kill him, and Harry couldn't do anything but stand binded to the spot, unable to use has wand or make a sound, and watch it happen. Dumbledore had made sure of that. He had made sure that Harry was safe and out of sight from Draco Malfoy and the other death eaters.

Harry of course shouldered the blame, he couldn't help it. He always found some reason to convince himself that every death in the wizarding world was his fault because Voldermort wanted him.

Ron thought back to the funeral. It had been held in the grounds of Hogwarts, by the lake. He had sat next to Hermione Granger, held her while she cried, and he had cried too. He had stroked her hair, whispering assurances into her ear. They were empty promises, he knew that.

They were preparing to embark on a journey that could ultimately lead to their deaths. But he had to tell her something, he couldn't bear to see her in pain, and he needed to make it better, somehow, but just being there, allowing her to cry on his shoulder while she gripped at his shirt, was all he could do.

He looked around the garden again, trying to spot her. She had been talking to Viktor Krum earlier. It was why he had retreated back to his room. But Viktor was now talking to Tonks and Remus Lupin. He couldn't see Hermione anywhere.

Then, as if on cue, there was a light tap on the door followed by someone softly calling his name.

He stood up and walked to the door, only opening it a tiny bit. There she was, the love of his life, only he was too much of a coward to tell her.

"Hey, I saw you come in. is everything ok?" she asked.

"Fine. I just needed some time alone" he told her. It had angered him to see her with Krum, but he couldn't let it show, not today. The family had been through enough already, they really didn't need him going off on one of his jealous outbursts again. And he was trying to work through his issues over the Bulgarian Quidditch player.

"Oh, ok. Do you want me to go?" she sounded slightly disappointed. She needed him as much as he needed her, and he wasn't going to deny her that comfort.

"No, please, stay." he said as he opened the door wider and stepped to the left to allow he entry to his room.

He closed the door behind her and leant against the door. She stood in the middle of the room, the hair she had so elegantly piled on top of her head for the wedding now falling in ringlets, framing her face, her full length lilac gown now had creases and traces of dirt where she had been sitting in the grass with him and Harry.

She was wringing her hands together and biting her bottom lip.

"You ok?" Ron asked, the worry evident in his voice. She didn't answer. Instead, she began to nod her head, only to change her mind and shook it instead, her face scrunching up in the process.

Ron was there before the first tear fell, gathering her up in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. He traced slow soothing circles across her back and waited for her to calm down before leading her over to sit down on the bed.

Once they were sitting, he took hold of her hand and laced their fingers together. She still wouldn't look at him, so he raised his hand to her chin and gently raised her head so their eyes met.

"All better?" he asked hopefully. She smiled shyly.

"Yes, thank you. I'm sorry for breaking down on you again" she said with a slight laugh.

"Don't worry bout it. Do you wanna talk?"

"I'm just so scared Ron" she began shakily, "What if we don't all survive this. I couldn't handle it if I lost you or Harry"

"You're not going to lose us Hermione. I won't let that happen" he promised.

"You won't have a choice Ron. Harry has to kill Voldermort, and who knows what we'll have to face" her voice broke at that point and she fell back into Ron's embrace.

"Whatever we have to face 'Mione, we'll survive it. I'll protect the both of you, and I'll always be there no matter what. I am not going to lose you…either of you" he pulled her closer and gently guided her head to his shoulder. They sat there like that for another few minutes when the door creaked open.

Ron looked up just in time to see Harry silently apologising and began to close the door. Ron shook his head once and motioned for him to stay.

He sat down on the other side of Hermione and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione, everything will be ok. We'll survive this" Harry said comfortingly.

"That's if we can get through telling everyone what we're doing. I'd rather face you-know-who than my mum. She can be right scary" Ron cut in, trying to lighten the mood. It worked for a little bit, Harry and Hermione did laugh, and seeing Hermione smile was enough to cheer Ron up anytime.

"My parents already know. I told them before I left" Hermione informed her best friends.

"The Dursely's helped me pack, so I think they wanted me out straight away" Harry nodded. Ron suddenly paled.

"Right then. So I guess it's just me left then" Harry grinned at him.

"Don't envy you much mate"

"No, we'll tell them. We're in this together" Hermione stated, squeezing both their hands as if to emphasise the point. She then laughed about how ridiculous she must look with her make-up running all down her face and her hair all over the place, and excused herself saying that she would see them later.

As she stood, she turned to look at her 2 boys, and summoning as much Gryffindor courage as possible, she leant down and gently kissed Ron on the cheek, just missing the corner of his mouth, and whispered a thanks. She then turned to Harry and smiled gratefully.

She didn't need to say anything or explain why she had kissed Ron and not him.

Harry understood the deeper connection between his best friends.

It actually gave him hope to see the love they had for each other, it didn't matter that neither of them had admitted it to the other. He watched Ron watch Hermione leave, then propped himself up against the head board.

"Have you spoken to Ginny yet?" Ron asked. Harry shook his head, "Oh, I saw you watching her today". Harry blushed.

"Yeah well, don't think I didn't see who you were watching" he teased, causing Ron to blush as well.

"Get used to it mate" he mumbled.

"Why don't you just tell her Ron?" Harry asked. He couldn't understand how they could sit for hours, be as close as they were, stealing glances at each other when they thought no-one else was watching, go through everything they had been, and still be too afraid to say they liked each other.

"You know I can't. Not when we're about to set out on the most important thing we will ever do. It would be too weird. And the last thing we need is me feeling sorry for myself"

"You think she's going to say no? Mate, there is no way that is going to happen" Harry replied encouragingly.

"She might do. Or if she does say yes and it goes wrong, it would create an even bigger problem. And as scared as I am of mum, telling Hermione the truth is scarier" he answered with a chuckle.

"And if something happens and you never get the chance, what then?" Harry tried, "At least think about it, please?"

Ron nodded and said that he would, then told Harry that they should get back to the reception before anyone started worrying.

The party lasted hours into the next morning. It had been such a perfect day full of love and hope for the future. All the couples had danced for the entire evening, only breaking away every now and then to rehydrate themselves.

Hermione had eventually convinced Harry to ask Ginny to dance. She had secretly hoped that by sending Harry off, Ron would ask her. Of course, Harry had known this was her plan and wanting to push his 2 best friends together, had willingly gone ahead with it.

And so she had sat alone, waiting for him. She had seen Harry throw the occasional glare in Ron's direction.

Unfortunately, Mad Eye Moody had him cornered. She had to swallow the laugh she felt coming.

It looked as though Moody was talking to him about spiders and describing in great detail their biological system.

He must have sensed her watching him because he glanced over at her and smiled one of his famous lop sided grins at her. Her breath caught in her throat and she felt the familiar stirrings in her stomach, which was the usual reaction she had whenever Ron was around her.

"I'm pathetic" She moaned to herself 'Here I am, acting like a doe-eyed lovesick puppy, when he continues to only see me as his best friend' She thought.

Hermione was very confused about what was happening between them. After the events of the last year; he going out with Lavender, her trying to make him jealous, him being poisoned and her keeping a constant vigil at his bedside throughout his stay in the hospital wing.

They had rapidly become closer. Always comforting each other, finding some way to touch the other. She had made it obvious enough how she felt, and she had been sure he felt the same way. But then, why wasn't he saying anything.

"Hermione, hello?" Hermione came out of her daze to see Ginny standing in front of her, waving her hand in her face. "Finally. Are you ready to go up to bed yet? I really need to get away from Harry". Hermione nodded and stood, smoothing the layers of her dress down, then followed Ginny back into The Burrow.

When they reached their shared bedroom, Ginny turned on Hermione.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?" she hissed.

Hermione stood confused for a moment until it dawned on her that Harry must have told her. "Not only am I losing my boyfriend, but I'm losing my best friend and brother as well".

"Ginny, please. We have to do this, it has to end" Hermione said softly.

"I know why you're going, and I understand why you think it's up to you three. But please stay. We can work all this out together, then send out the Aurors to destroy the Horcruxes"

"Harry is continuing on with Dumbledore's mission. Dumbledore trusted Harry to go with him. Gin, we've always known that the day would come when Harry would stop waiting for Voldermort to attack. That day has come, and Ro and I are not going to let him go alone" she explained. But Ginny was as stubborn as the next Weasley, and she had already made her choice.

"Fine, I'm coming with you!" she stated, standing stock still with her arms folded over her chest.

"Ginny, you are not coming with us. Harry broke up with you for a reason, to keep you safe" she winced at the pained expression Ginny now had in her eyes.

"If you joined us, it would completely defeat the purpose".

"So? At least I'd still be with you all" her voice cracked and she slumped on the bed. Hermione understood her. She was scared of being left behind. She sat down next to the red-haired girl and put her arm around her.

"Ginny, Harry needs to concentrate fully on what we're doing, he needs to know that you'll be safe. If you're there, he'll be distracted".

Ginny nodded and muttered that she understood. Then the two girls sat and talked about the evening, before they finally grew tired and got into their own beds.

"Hermione. Before you go, do you want me to kick some sense into that brother of mine?"

Hermione giggled. "Ginny, as persuasive as you are, you are not a miracle worker"

"I'm threatening violence here Hermione" Ginny joked.

"It's ok. I'd rather him do it of his own accord"

"Ok, but let me know if you change your mind"

Hermione laughed one last time and promised that she would. Then she extinguished the lights and snuggled in, at least hoping for one good nights sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The next morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione met each other at the bottom of the stairs. They had planned to meet so they could talk to Mr and Mrs Weasley together.

They took a deep breath just before entering the kitchen. Mr Weasley, Ginny and the twins were sat around the table. Mrs Weasley was by the stove, directing the piled plates towards the table.

"Mmm, smells good, mum" Ron piped up as he went to quickly sit down.

Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back, "Mrs Weasley, Mr Weasley, we have something to tell you" Hermione announced.

The twins looked up, mischief gleaming in their eyes. "You're pregnant!" George cried.

"Wow, Ronniekins. You do work fast!" Fred finished. Harry burst out laughing, only to be whacked around the head by a very red faced Ron.

"Boys!" Mr Weasley warned, "Carry that on and I'll have you de-gnoming the garden for a month".

Mrs Weasley turned to look at the trio. "What is it dears?"

Hermione looked at Ron nervously, then at Harry, the back to the Weasley's.

"Erm, maybe you should sit down" Hermione told them anxiously.

"What is it dear?" Mrs Weasley asked again.

"Well, you see, Professor Dumbledore and I have … had been working through possible places for Horcruxes, as you may have already been aware. I don't intend on stopping that. In fact, I'm going to go looking for them. We can't keep waiting around for Voldermort to attack again. I'm going to destroy the Horcruxes, and then I'm going to destroy him" Harry told them, trying his best to use a tone that would let them know this wasn't up for discussion.

"And we're going with him" Ron added without looking up.

"Ronald Billius Weasley, you will do no such thing. That goes for you two as well" Mrs Weasley shrieked.

Ron looked up at his mother, knowing that he was about to do a very dangerous thing by answering her back.

"Mum, we're of age now. And we've already faced you-know-who and his followers twice now. We've got as much chance of being killed here than out there. At least by doing this, we're weakening him.".

Hermione stared at Ron in awe, as well as the other occupants in the kitchen, shocked that Ron had stood up to the Matriarch of the family. He had definitely upgraded from a teaspoon in the maturity and emotional department.

"I will not let you put yourselves in more danger".

"Molly" Mr Weasley addressed his wife, "They are not children anymore. Albus believed in them. It is their destiny, we've always known that. We can't hold them back, they'd go anyway. Besides, we can keep the order in touch if we allow them to go"

"Mrs Weasley" Harry stepped forward, "I have to do this, and I need Ron and Hermione to be there with me. We've talked about everything. We'll use the coin to keep in touch, and if we need help, the order can be there in a second."

Molly Weasley looked around at her family, then at the three standing on the other side of the room. Her husband had a point, they would go anyway, at least by letting them go, she would be able to give the help.

"I want to always know where you are and how you're doing"

"We promise mum. And we'll take help if we need it" Before they knew it, Molly was grabbing all three, squeezing them, sobbing and choking out how they'd grown up so fast.

After breakfast, Mr Weasley convinced Harry to talk to Remus Lupin about their plans. Considering Lupin's previous position as DADA teacher, and current Order Co Leader, Harry agreed that it would be for the best.

Hermione had to say goodbye to Viktor, and Ron had asked if she would mind if he went too. Surprised with his suggestion, she readily agreed and left Harry to wait for Lupin.

A soon as they left, Harry reached into the pot, and pulled a handful of floo powder, throwing it into the fireplace, he called for 12 Grimmauld Place.

The first thing he saw was Kreacher, the Blacks' house elf which Harry had unfortunately inherited along with the house and the rest of Sirius' possessions when he died.

"Kreacher, get Remus to come to the fire, now". Kreacher didn't reply, instead, he gave Harry a loathsome glare and stalked out of the lounge, muttering how his mistress would be turning in her grave.

Within a few seconds, Remus was on his knees by the fireplace.

"Harry? What is it, what happened?" he asked, panicking.

"Remus, calm down. Nothings happened. We told everyone what we're going to do and Mr and Mrs Weasley would like me to sit down with you and talk about it.".

Lupin already knew about the hunt, Harry had told him the day of Dumbledore's funeral.

"Tonks and I will be right there" Remus replied.

True to his word, a minute later, Tonks came stumbling into the kitchen, knocking into the kitchen table, as clumsy as ever, Harry mused. Remus followed soon after.

After the usual offering of tea and biscuits, they all sat down around the table and began discussing the trio's journey.

"Harry, as I have known of this matter for a couple of weeks now, I have had the time to dig deeper into the work Albus carried out. I am sure he never informed you of his niece or your father's cousin?".

Harry shook his head, confused. He never knew that Dumbledore had a niece, and he didn't know that he himself had another relative.

"Alicia Dumbledore and Megan Potter are a rare variety of Aurors. Albus enlisted their help before your 6th year. They were taking care of international matters throughout, trying to trace Death Eaters that had gone into hiding after Voldermorts demise. They were searching for clues Harry. It is down to them that Albus was able to find and destroy Slytherin's' ring." Remus continued.

"How is it that I was never told about Megan? And why weren't they at the battle at the school?"

"Shortly after your parents' death, Megan went somewhat AWOL. She and James were rather close, and she took his passing, well…" Remus hesitated for a second "… she went off the rails for a while. Nobody knew where she had gone, all we knew was that Death Eaters were being found brutalized. One day, she came across a girl not much younger than herself, who went by the name of Alicia Dumbledore. Alicia had quite the effect on Megan. They had an instant connection and have traveled together for the last 12 years. Megan didn't want you to know about her, in case it put one or both of you in more danger than you already are."

"What has that got to do with the hunt?" Harry asked, still slightly confused.

"They will be meeting you at Godrics' Hollow just before you leave. I know you think you can handle yourself, Harry" Tonks finally said, "But you are still so young, and you will need a certain amount of help, protection and expertise. Megan and Alicia are two of the best. Half of Azkaban is filled because of Mad Eye. Quarter is filled because of them"

"And the other quarter?" asked Harry.

"That would be yours truly!" Tonks replied with a smirk.

Harry laughed in return, but soon turned serious again.

"Will they be with us all the time? We don't need baby sitters"

"Not all the time. They'll mainly be there when you've found something, and they'll help you destroy it."

Harry thought for a few minutes, weighing up the pros and cons of it. Finally he said;

"Fine. But they're not to forget that this is our mission. If they do anything to screw it up, they're gone."

The four older Order members all looked at each other, then sighed, realizing that they had no choice but to comply with Harry's conditions, they agreed.

Hermione and Ron walked down to the lake where Viktor was waiting for them. Ron didn't want to risk saying something that would insult Viktor and result in an argument. His silence didn't make it any easier for Hermione though. She didn't know why he had offered to come along as well if he wasn't going to say anything. Not that she minded him being there. She knew that Ron was trying to get over his problem with Krum, but Hermione knew that her continuous correspondence with Viktor still bothered him. Maybe by coming along and seeing her say goodbye to Viktor would help him get over it a lot quicker.

Ginny had constantly told her that if she were to ask Ron out, he'd say yes in a heartbeat, but Hermione was very old fashioned in that way, if anyway was going to ask, it would have to be him. Besides, she never really believed that anyone could like her like that, especially not Ron. But it didn't stop her hoping, and she thought that maybe if she could convince him there was nothing going on with Viktor, it would help him along.

"Herm-oi-nee!" Viktor cried when he saw the two friends approaching him.

"Hello Viktor. Are you already to go?" She asked politely.

"Yes. Hullo Ron, I vas vondering if I may haff a talk?" Ron looked up surprise. Was Viktor Krum, International Quidditch star, actually talking to him. He looked to Hermione to check that he wasn't imagining things, but she looked equally as shocked.

"Erm, Ok" Ron replied uncertainly.

When they had got far enough from away from Hermione that she wouldn't be able to hear them, Viktor stopped Ron and said, quite harshly;

"I am seeing the vay you are looking at Herm-oi-nee. Why haff you not told her?" Ron choked. Viktor Krum had actually noticed it. But then did that mean that she had as well? They probably had a right old laugh about it. Still, his first instinct was to deny everything.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" he said huffily.

Viktor smiled at Ron's' unease and stubbornness.

"You forget I haff once looked at her that way". Ron's look of jealousy that flashed through his eyes did not go un-noticed.

"But she vas not feeling me in that way. I know vat you will be doing, and you should tell her before it is too late".

"It's not that simple. She's my best friend, and I won't do anything to risk losing that!" Ron told him stubbornly.

"I do not zink that you will, not if you are honest wiz her. She vas always writing about you and what you do over ze summer wiz 'Arry not there. I am always hearing of you, but never of 'Arry."

Ron's heart swelled at that point. Did that mean that she felt the same? He looked back at her and smiled at him wearily. How could someone so perfect want me? He thought to himself.

"You haff saved her life many times. 'Arry Potter is many people's hero, but he is not hers. That title falls to you" Ron briefly wondered if Krum was reading his mind.

"I must now be going. If you tell her or not, take care of her. Never stop being her hero" Viktor said sincerely.

"I'd protect her from everything. I'd die for her". Viktor nodded, "I know".

They walked back to Hermione, who eyed them both suspiciously. Viktor didn't give her chance to ask any questions. He enveloped her in a hug, whispering goodbye and good luck in her ear.

He then extended his hand to Ron, who shook it willingly.

"Good luck Ron" Viktor said, both men knowing the meaning behind it.

"Thanks, you too."

Then with a POP!, Viktor had dissapparated.

Hermione was on him in a second. "What did he say to you?"

"Nothing much" Ron shrugged.

"It looked like you were the one not saying much!" she retorted. She had watched him the whole time, which wasn't unusual for her.

"He told me to take care of you. To not stop being your hero" he finished playfully.

Hermione must have spent too much time around the Weasley's, as she had adopted the trademark Weasley blush.

"You know, he's really not that bad, once you talk to him" Ron said.

Hermione laughed incredulously, then gave Ron a playful shove. Ron laughed and put his hands up defensively.

"Is that anyway to treat your hero?" he teased, earning him another push.

On their way back up to the Burrow, Hermione told Ron that she was tired and she was going to take a quick nap. He walked her up to her room, not yet wanting to leave her. When she walked into the room she shared with Ginny, she turned to face Ron, who was still stood on the other side of the door. He looked nervous. He opened his mouth a couple of times before he finally spoke.

"Erm, Hermione. Is it true what Viktor said? About me being your hero?"

Hermione smiled, then closing the door, more to hide her own blush than anything, replied; "Ever since first year".

Ron stood on the other side of the door, completely dumbfounded, then with a wide smile spreading across his face, he turned on his heel and began walking down the stairs.

As he got to the bottom of the stairs, Harry was just stepping out of the kitchen.

"What's got you so happy?" he asked Ron, amused at the silly grin plastered all over his best friends face. Ron grinned even more widely and replied simply;

"I'm her hero!".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3-Saying Goodbye

The next few weeks were spent preparing for the Horcrux hunt.

The trio had split their time between researching, such as possible locations, Voldermorts past, Death Eaters, who they were and where they spent their time, their strengths and their weaknesses, and with the help of Kingsley Shacklebolt, Tonks and Mad Eye Moody, battle training.

They had spent many hours practicing possible battle scenarios. All 3 had been injured quite a bit, thankfully, it had been little more than cuts and bruises, although Harry had been hit with a loss of senses charm which had caused him to lose his sight and hearing for 30 minutes.

All in all, they were completely prepared for the hunt, physically and mentally at least. Emotionally, they were no where near ready.

Harry had continued to hound Ron and Hermione to tell the other how they felt, that is until they had both, though separately, argued with him about his feelings for Ginny.

He had been avoiding her since the wedding. It wasn't fair to her, he knew that, but it was too hard to spend time with her without acknowledging the huge amount of tension in the room.

He had managed to ignore the matter by throwing himself into training, but now, sitting in his room on the night before they left, he found that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't come up with a reason no to go to her.

Ron had sensed his frustrations, and , wanting to spend some time alone with Hermione before they left, he had eventually convinced Harry to speak to Ginny, explaining that Harry would never forgive himself if he left the situation unresolved.

Walking to her bedroom, Harry realized he had never been so nervous in his entire life. He was scared of what would happen, and of what wouldn't happen, but ultimately, he was scared of saying goodbye. It was a high possibility that after tonight, he'd never see Ginny again.

He knocked on the door, and after a few seconds, Hermione opened the door just a crack.

"Harry, erm, hello, is everything alright?" she asked, slightly surprised to see him.

"Erm, yeah, everything's fine. I just came to see Ginny… if that's ok?".

Hermione smiled at him proudly, then nodded her head and told him that they would just be a minute.

Finally, Hermione opened the door again and walked out. Before he went in, she stopped him, placing her hand lightly on his forearm.

"Thank you for doing this Harry. I know how much this means to her" Harry nodded and replied; "Ron's upstairs, alone, just in case you're in a confessional mood".

Hermione laughed sarcastically, then turned a scowl on him, letting him know that she didn't find it amusing in the slightest. She left him and went upstairs to see Ron.

Harry took a long deep breath and exhaled slowly before gently tapping on the door and letting himself in.

"Hey you" he said as he sat down at the end of her bed.

"Hey you back" she replied shyly, "Are you all packed?".

"Yeah, your mum wanted more time for goodbyes in the morning". He hated this. There had never been any awkwardness between them, yet you could cut the tension with a knife.

"I just wanted to explain things Gin. Why I'm doing this" Harry said desperately. There was no point in beating around the bush, that would just make things worse.

"I know why you're doing it, Harry. But it doesn't make it any easier. I still love you and I always will".

Harry flinched at her words. It was the first time she had told him that and it killed him.

"Malfoy and Snape know about us, they'll tell him and they'll still come after me, you can't stop that just by dumping me" she had held back her feelings when Harry had dumped her, of course, she understood why he did it, but it didn't make any sense to her, and she wasn't going to start an argument at Dumbledore's funeral.

"You think I don't know that" Harry stated harshly, "I didn't want any of this to happen. But I have to do this, and it's not fair, none of it is. But if we're together, they'll use you against me. If we're not together, they won't make it their priority"

"So you're just delaying it then?" Ginny retorted sarcastically.

"It gives us the advantage. While they're trying to figure out the best way to get to me, we can go after them. I'm not delaying it, I'm trying to prevent it from happening" he explained passionately.

Ginny found that she didn't have the strength for this anymore. She had hardly slept in the last 6 weeks, and the dark circles under her eyes were proof of that.

"You just do what you have to do Harry, and I'll be here when you get back".

Harry nudged up on the bed so he was closer to her. Pushing her auburn hair behind her ear he said; "I'm not asking you to wait for me Gin, that's not fair on you"

"You didn't ask me, and I know you never would, but I'd wait anyway".

Harry nodded. He knew she would, and if he was being completely honest, he wanted her to. There was no way he could go back to the wizarding world if she wasn't there with him, and he didn't belong in the muggle world.

"Ginny, I lo…." "Don't say it" she cut him off abruptly.

"But if something happened to one of us… and I didn't get a chance to tell you"

Ginny smiled her understanding, but she wouldn't give up on this.

"Then you'll just have to make sure nothing happens to either of us then, won't you" she told him lightly. "You can tell me when you get back. When you've saved the world."

This was it, Harry thought. This was their goodbye for however long. He knew she wouldn't see them off in the morning, and in ways, it was easier that way.

Not wanting to miss the chance of one last kiss with Ginny, he leant forward and lightly brushed her lips with his and she captured his in turn. It was a kiss full of hope and an unspoken promise. Hope that the world would soon be as it should be, and a promise that he would come back to her.

When they broke the kiss, neither said anything. No words needed to be spoken. Instead, they smiled at each other lovingly, then, with a final squeeze of her hand, Harry turned and left her room.

He decided to head out to the garden. He didn't want to impose on Ron and Hermione. They were already giving up so much, he wouldn't dream of taking this away from them as well, just in case they had miraculously decided to admit to everything.

Besides, all he really wanted right now was to be alone.

"Harry's talking to Ginny. Is it ok if I sit with you?" Hermione asked Ron as she poked her head round the door to his bedroom.

Ron was lying on his bed, head propped up on his elbows. He was flicking through one of the comic books Hermione had bought for his birthday that year. He looked up at her and nodded, closing the magazine and throwing to the end of his bed.

"Did he seem nervous?" Ron asked her, referring to their mutual best friend.

"Yes. He's gone to say goodbye, hasn't he?" She answered sadly.

"Yes and No. He felt that he had to explain why he had ended it, but to tell her that he's gonna come back".

Hermione nodded, and after a few moments of silence, said; "She's been thinking about coming with us. She brought up a valid point. What her and Harry feel for each other is what would give Harry the strength to defeat Voldermort."

"He'd never let her come, he'd never put her in that much danger." Ron cut in. Not that he had a problem with that anyway.

"Have you thought about not letting me go?" she asked curiously, a slight amount of accusation in her tone. Ron laughed.

"Like we could stop you. But yeah, the thought had crossed my mind…. Not that you aren't capable" he added quickly when he saw the flash of annoyance cross her face.

"I just… We just… want you to be safe. But then there is no way that we could do this without you"

"We couldn't do it without you either you know" she smiled. He shrugged his shoulders and Hermione knew that he didn't believe her.

"It's true" she urged.

"No it's not. You're the brains, Harry's the magical miracle that is gonna kill You-know-who and save the world. What do I do?" he finished irritably. Hermione sighed and sat down next to him. "You're the one that saves us" she said simply. Ron blushed at her compliment, but soon brushed it off, "Whatever" he grumbled.

"Ronald!" she scolded. "You are. When Harry feels as though he can't go on, you'll be there to remind him of what he's fighting for, and that he can do it because he's Harry Potter. You're his best friend and he couldn't do this without you" she explained, looking deeply into his eyes. "And then there's me" she added softly, blushing a little. Ron looked up at her, his blue eyes piercing into her brown ones. She suddenly forgot what she was talking about.

"What about you?" he asked shyly.

"Well, erm, you know. You've always saved me. First from the troll…"

"You taught me the spell, and Harry was there"

"…Then there was the time I was petrified…"

"Harry killed the Basilisk and saved Ginny. And I had nothing to do with the potion."

"… You've never stopped defending me, even when we weren't talking. And you never let me go when I was cursed in the department of mysteries" She continued as though Ron had never interrupted her.

"Harry was there too Hermione." Ron reminded her. He couldn't understand how she could believe this.

"But Harry's not my hero, you are, remember" She smiled, he smiled back, but then quickly shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, "But why me?"

"Because you're, you know, you're Ron!" How else could she explain it without actually explaining it?

"My point exactly" Ron replied, frustrated.

"Mine too" she shot back desperately. "I'm serious Ron. You need to stop putting yourself down and start believing all the good things we say about you, because they are all true. You're my hero because you saved me from the troll, and faced spiders to get to the truth about the chamber, cursing Malfoy, only for it to backfire on you. How many girls can say that someone threw up slugs for them" she joked.

"But I'm a coward Mione"

"No you're not. You're a Gryffindor and one of the bravest people I have ever met" she tried to convince him.

"Hermione, I was too much of a coward to dump Lavender. I couldn't even pluck up the courage to ask you to dance at the wedding" he growled at that last part, knowing that he had said too much.

"Did you want to ask me to dance?" Hermione asked shyly, trying so hard not to show the beaming smile she felt bubbling inside of her.

Ron nodded hesitantly, not bothering to look at her. "I was gonna ask, then I saw you with Vicky, then Harry, and then by the time you were alone, Moody was already talking to me".

She had to bite down on her lip now to stop the smile coming out. He actually wanted to dance with her. And better than that, he had admitted it. Maybe this meant that he was ready for more. She felt as though all of her insides were swelling up and would burst at any second.

"Do you think we'll get to go to another Ball or Wedding?" Ron asked.

"Certainly. But maybe I should ask you to dance instead!" she replied jokingly.

"How about we just agree that the next time there's going to be dancing involved, we go together?" Ron suggested bravely. It wasn't exactly how he had imagined this conversation, but as long as he got the point out, he thought.

"I'd like that" Hermione replied grinning.

They sat in silence for a while, just enjoying each others company, but both too shy to say anything else.

Finally, Hermione let out a small yawn.

"You should go get some sleep. We've got a long day tomorrow"

"What if Harry's still there?" she asked, not wanting to ruin their goodbye. Ron thought for a moment, looking round the room, a blush creeping onto his cheeks.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"Nothing" he replied as he started to fiddle with the bed covers. "It's just… well you erm… you could stay here, you know, maybe, if you wanted"

"Er, I don't know if that would be a good idea"

"Uh, I wouldn't look or anything. You can put the curtains up around the bed and you can put a charm around it" Hermione sighed, almost giving in. he didn't want to spend her last night at the Burrow sleeping on the couch, and maybe staying would push Ron into doing something. No, can't think like that" she thought, shaking her head and blushing at the thought.

Just then, the door opened and Harry miserably stumbled over to his bed. "Alright mate?" asked Ron.

"Humpfrr" mumbled Harry as he threw himself onto the bed and pulled the curtains round his bed. Hermione and Ron looked at each other, eyebrows raised.

"Right then, I'm off to bed. Night Harry" again, another incoherent mumble was the response.

"Night Ron" she said, smiling sweetly at him.

"Night Hermione. See you in the morning."

Hermione closed the door behind her and descended the stairs that led to Ginny's' room feeling considerably lighter. They were going to the next dance together. It was the closest he had got to telling her. Maybe it wouldn't be too long now.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Godrics Hollow**

The next morning was as hectic as the start of a new school year. Ron and Harry still hadn't packed everything they needed and so it had been a mad rush to get everything ready before Tonks and Mad Eye Moody arrived to accompany them to Godrics Hollow.

They were going along just to check that the house was secure and all the necessary wards were in place to keep out any unwanted visitors.

After a tearful farewell from Mrs Weasley, and hugs from the rest of the family excluding Ginny who, not wanting to break down in front of everyone, had said her goodbyes the previous night, the trio set off with the two Aurors.

As they were heading to such a significant place, and because Voldemort and his Death Eaters were hunting Harry, the group had to take a series of Portkeys just to get to Godrics Hollow, then they had to apparate to the house so they would remain untraceable.

Harry wasn't sure how he would feel once they got to the house or how it would look. He imagined a broken down house, dark and empty, much like the Shrieking Shack. The reality was far from anything he thought.

Once they got to the house, Tonks and Moody left the trio in the garden under the invisibility cloak while they checked the house.

Harry took in the sight before him. For a moment he wasn't sure that they were in the right place. The garden appeared recently tended to. The grass short, the rose bushes trimmed and the flowerbeds blooming. The exterior of the house was much the same. There were no traces of an attack ever occurring. He guessed the inside would be in the same state.

The house had remained empty all these years. Harry remembered Dumbledore telling him that no-one had wanted to move in knowing that Voldemort had killed there.

He couldn't help thinking that if he closed for just a second, everything would be fine when he re-opened them, none of it ever would have happened.

His Parents would still be alive and Voldemort would have been taken down years ago. He pictured him inviting Ron and Hermione over to stay for the summer, just like the Weasley's did at the burrow. He imagined introducing Ginny as his girlfriend, talking to his father about his problems at school and Quidditch, but talking to his mum about Ginny.

Remus and Sirius would visit and they would all sit around the table talking over dinner. It was a fantasy he wished he would never come out of. Unfortunately, the sound of curses being thrown back and forth ripped him away from his fantasy. The trio all looked quickly at each other then threw off the cloak and raced towards the front door.

"Alistair, stop attacking me and let me prove who I am" came a female voice from just inside the door.

"And let you curse me? I don't think so." Moody growled, his Scottish accent coming through thick in his anger.

"Then tie me up and feed me Veritaserum, if that's what it's going to take." The female voice yelled back.

"If you are who you say you are, then why did you curse me?" Moody cried.

"You hexed me first. What was I sposed to do… Merlin, calm down Moody!"

Harry creaked the door open, careful not to make a sound. He could see Moody just ahead of him, his face dark, the magical eye roaming around as if waiting for someone to attack him from behind. Then just to the left of them, a woman with long dark hair stood, her wand aimed at Moody. From the back, she looked a lot like Bellatrix Lestrange, the Death Eater who had tortured Neville Longbottom's parents to insanity.

He entered the house, noticing that he had been right about it appearing occupied, with the exception of a few scorch marks in the wall and a broken mirror from the missed curses and hexes the 2 adults had thrown at each other.

He had only taken a couple of steps inside when he stepped on a creaky floorboard. In a split second, the woman now had both arms raised, a wand in each hand. One still trained on Moody, the other now pointing at Harry. It was the perfect opportunity for Moody to throw another curse at her, narrowly missing her head and smashing an oriental vase which sat on the mantel.

"God damn it Moody. My mother brought that for James and Lily's wedding."

The dark haired woman turned her head slightly to the left so she could look at who the new arrival was. She was so taken aback by the sight before her, she dropped both wands to the floor, giving Moody another chance to hex her from behind. Fortunately for her, at the same time that Moody raised his wand, Tonks stepped into the hallway, a short, blonde haired woman with her.

"Moody, put the wand down. They're real." Tonks called to him.

"How can you be so sure?" Moody growled.

"Because while you two were busy wrecking the place, I was busy getting the truth. I spiked her drink with truth serum." She explained, shaking a small empty bottle at him.

"It wasn't your best cup of tea Tonks!" The other woman said to Tonks with a grim look on her face.

"Glad you found the time to socialise." Moody said sarcastically, still eyeing the tall dark haired woman carefully, although he had dropped his wand to his side now.

She was now fully facing Harry, her piercing blue eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Ha… Harry?" she whispered shakily. Harry nodded wearily. "You look so much like James did when he was your age"

"So I've been told. You must be Megan." He stated coolly.

"Yes. And this is Alicia." She replied, referring to the other woman who was still talking to Tonks but spared a quick smile for him.

"You weren't sposed to be here til next week!" Moody said as he pocketed his wand. Megan turned away from Harry and faced Moody again.

"It didn't take as long as we first thought, so we figured we'd have a nice deserving break."

"You call looking after children a break?" Moody asked dryly.

"We're not children!" Ron stated indignantly.

"And we don't need looking after!" added Hermione.

"So if that's what you're here to do, you can leave now!" Harry finished.

"We're not here to look after you" Megan said, turning to face the three friends. "We're here to help you destroy that sadistic son of a bitch" She growled.

Harry watched Megan for a few minutes, wondering whether they could be trusted or not. Finally, he held out his hand to Megan, who took it in her larger hands and shook it, the pulling him into a tight hug, she whispered, "We'll get him. I swear we will!"

After making sure that the house was secure and a thorough de briefing with Megan and Alicia, Tonks and Moody left the trio with the other two adults.

They had a quick dinner of sausage and mash, the trio went upstairs to unpack.

The house consisted of three bedrooms. It had originally been set out that there would be a spare room for when one of the Marauders stayed over. Hermione took this room, Harry and Ron took Harry's nursery, though they had to get one of the older women to transfigure the cot and armchair into 2 full sized beds. Megan and Alicia were staying in James and Lily's bedroom.

The boys had just finished unpacking when Megan entered.

"Harry, I thought maybe you would want to talk about a few things". Harry looked at Ron and nodded, he did have questions for her after all. Ron slid his suitcase under the bed and left to go visit Hermione.

When he had left the room, Megan sat down at the edge of his bed and faced Harry. She wore black combat trousers with a white tank top and black hiking boots. As she leant forward to rest her elbows on her knees, Harry noticed how toned she was. It was obvious that this woman was extremely strong. He also noticed that her eyes told so much. Her pain shone through, but he could also see a fire in her eyes that not many people possessed. It was a fire that they needed to win this war.

"I just wanted to talk to you about a few things, get the record straight, so to speak. Is that ok?" Harry nodded, urging her to go ahead. "Right then. First of all, Alicia and I, we're not here to baby-sit you. You will have your own freedom and we won't interfere. We're going to work together and we're going to train you in things that will help you along the way. But piss me off, such as leaving without telling me where you're going or excluding us from the mission, I will step in. act like a child, I will treat you like one. I don't think I need to tell Hermione that, she's got her head screwed on, but you may want to relay that message to Ron." Harry sniggered at this, amazed that she had worked them all out already.

"Secondly, I want to apologise for not being there when your parents and Sirius died. I wanted to, but I guess you've heard about my revenge spree?" Harry nodded again to say that he had and that she should continue. "I should have been there to take of you, save you from your Aunt and Uncle. I should have helped Sirius but I'm ashamed to admit that I thought he was guilty, and he was going to be next on my list."

"What happened with Alicia, how did she come into it?" Harry asked. He had the distinct feeling that Megan was going to tell him something she had never told anyone. At the mention of Alicia's name, Megan smiled brightly.

"Alicia came into my life at what possibly could have been the end of it. You see, I had acquired somewhat of a reputation among Death Eaters." She announced proudly. "I began to get a little too cocky for my own good. I believed that I was invincible. I had found their hide-out. There were 13 of them in that one camp. To kill them would have meant a huge victory for our side. To cut a very long story short, I marched into the camp, they were too much for me. Alicia was being held captive because of who her uncle was. Seeing her tied up, completely helpless. I had to get her out of there. I didn't care whether I lived or died, but I couldn't let her die too." She said, a haunted look in her eyes. "Saving her is what saved me" she admitted.

"When did you realise that Sirius was innocent?" Harry hadn't meant this to be an interrogation, he hadn't even realised that he had so many questions that didn't involve his parents.

"What I'm about to tell you can go no further. You have to swear." Megan said.

"I swear." Harry promised, slightly worried about what she was about to confess.

"Although Alicia calmed me down a lot, I still wanted Sirius. In my opinion, he was their best friend and his was the worst betrayal. She knew I was going to get him, she didn't agree with it. She had met Sirius before and knew that he could never do anything that would harm his friends. She made me promise not to go after him. I made the promise with no intention of keeping it."

"But Sirius was already in Azkaban!" Harry exclaimed.

"Azkaban wasn't enough. I wanted him dead, and I wanted to be one to do it. My status allowed me entry to Azkaban. So I paid Sirius a visit. We had a little talk, I beat him a little, then we had another little talk. He had a lot to say, and it was very convincing. I finally realised that he never would have sold them out. He would have died first. He had to get out of there. He knew about Pettigrew and I understood that he needed to take care of it, so I, er, I helped him break free."

"You…you helped him escape?" Harry choked out.

"Azkaban is inescapable, unless you know how to handle Dementors!" Megan said trivially.

Harry couldn't believe it. He had so many questions, but with every answer came more questions. He'd have to wait to ask them all though. It had been along day and right now, he needed his sleep. They would talk more tomorrow.

It only took a few seconds for Hermione to open the door once Ron knocked. It was late and she had already dressed in her nightclothes, which tonight just happened to be a pair of pink flannel bunny pyjamas.

Hermione blushed crimson, of all the tings for him to see her in, and it had to be them. She blushed even more when he looked her up and down and raised his eyebrows announcing that they were cute.

"What's so funny Ron?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Nothing's funny. I said they were cute. I just didn't picture you bunny pj's".

Hermione smiled teasingly, knowing what would wipe that smirk off his face.

"Think about what I wear to bed often do you?"

It worked. He stopped smiling and gulped, looking down at the floor. "Harry and Megan are talking. Can I come in?" he asked shyly. She stared at him for a few moments, wondering whether or not another night time talk with Ron would be a good idea. Finally, she decided to let him in.

'_What's the worst that could happen?'_ she thought '_He tells me that he likes me and we kiss. I could definitely handle that. Or, he could tell me that he's not interested and break my heart all over again… he already did that with Lavender, I could handle it again, right?'_

She walked over to the two seat sofa that sat in the corner of the room next to the bookcase, which she had already filled whilst unpacking. Ron followed and plonked himself down next to her, throwing his legs over so they were resting on her lap.

"My feet hurt" he said by way of explanation when she looked up at him.

"Well, I'm not touching your smelly feet!" she replied stubbornly.

"Oh please, they really hurt!" he whined, putting on his best puppy dog face that always made her change her mind whenever he wanted help with his homework. Hermione laughed but remained firm. It took all her strength not to give in, he looked so adorable.

"Fine" he moaned as he swung his legs round again so his feet were on the floor. "I'd do it for you" he said in a last attempt to change her mind.

And with that, Hermione raised an eyebrow challengingly and lifted her legs up onto his lap. He looked at her in disbelief and she jerked her head towards her feet, letting him know that she wanted him to prove it. He smiled as he shook his head and placed his large rough hands on her small feet.

"Ok fine, but you're doing me as soon I've done you" he told her.

"When you've done me, I'll do whatever you want me to". Oh god. She was flirting with him. And not just innocent flirting like they were used to, but outrageous, suggestive flirting. She watched as his eyes went wide and the blush that he was so famous for worked its way up his neck, then to his face. Eventually, he cleared his throat and replied, rather bravely; "I'll hold you to that".

They talked for about a couple of hours, just talking about everything and nothing. Ron continued to massage Hermione's feet the whole time, not once asking to switch. He liked the way they were sat. He had seen Harry and Ginny sit like this a lot back at Hogwarts when they were still together, and he was able to fool himself for just a little while that he and Hermione were actually a couple.

"Do you think Megan's finished with Harry yet?" Ron asked, only just realising how late it was.

"Yes, I heard Megan go to her room a little while ago" Hermione replied.

"Oh, I would have left sooner if you had told me" Ron told her. He didn't want to keep her up if she didn't want him to be there.

Hermione, however, took this comment the wrong way.

"Oh I'm sorry. You could have left anytime you wanted to. I don't want to bore you" She snapped, pulling her legs up so that she could wrap her arms around her knees. Ron looked at her in shock. Where had this come from? They were fine just a second ago.

"Hermione, I didn't mean it like that"

"No, no it's fine. I understand. You only came here because Harry wasn't available" She said quickly. Ron smiled sadly and stood up, not wanting to respond to that comment in fear of starting another row.

"Ok, I get it. You're tired. I'll just see you in the morning." he said, making his way to the door.

"Don't patronize me Ronald. I am not tired." She hissed. "You're always doing that, why?". Ron sighed heavily and turned to face her.

"What happened here?" he asked sadly.

"You decided to be a prat again!" Hermione stated. For once, Ron bit his tongue against what he was going to say and instead said;

"I'm sorry. I don't mean to patronize you. I didn't mean that I wanted to go, I just know that you're tired and I didn't want you to stay up just because of me".

Hermione looked at him, ashamed. She didn't know why she had reacted so badly to his comment, she was just more on edge than she usually was.

"Oh, right. I'm sorry. You can stay if you want. I'm fine." She said.

"As much as I want to stay, it's late and we're both tired" he really did want to stay.

"Ok, I'll see you in the morning." she smiled. He returned the smile and opened the door. He was only half way out when Hermione jumped up and called him. He spun around, almost knocking her over where she had tried to stop him and almost made it to the door. He grabbed the first thing he could to stop her from falling, which just so happened to be the hem of her shirt, his fingers brushed against the bare skin on her stomach and they flinched at the sudden contact.

"Erm, sorry" he choked out.

"It's ok, erm, thank you… for the massage" she said awkwardly, resisting the urge to lean up and kiss him.

"You're welcome" he smiled, letting go of her shirt. "Goodnight Mione. Sweet dreams."

He didn't wait for her to answer, he knew that if he stayed a minute longer, he'd end doing something that she'd regret in the morning.

He tiptoed back into his room, trying his best not to wake Harry. The main reason being that he didn't want to answer questions Harry already knew the answer to. Silently, he got changed and climbed into bed. Thinking that he had achieved it, he let out a long slow breath.

"Have you told her yet?" Harry asked, opening one eye to look at his best friend.

"Noo, and I'm not going to either" Ron groaned.

"Ok, if you say so" Harry replied with a grin. If Ron didn't tell her soon, Harry was going to do it for him. He was determined to get them to at least admit that they liked each other, even if that was all they did.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Megan had always been an early riser. She loved to wake up just before dawn, just as the sun was rising.

It had always filled her with hope and serenity, even in the darkest points of her life.

Watching the dark blue sky turn a mixture of pinks, reds and oranges, spread across the grey clouds that littered the sky.

Then the sun would peak over, winning out against the darkness. It was the way the world was supposed to be.

There would always be dark points, but the light would always win.

The beauty a new morning held always made her think of Alicia. They had been through so much together, had saved each other and never ran away when things got bad.

Megan guessed that this is what it was like for Harry and his friends. She had, fortunately, been kept well informed on Harry's life and everything he had accomplished.

His two friends, Ron and Hermione, had been there from the start, and here they were, still with him, until the very end. Prepared to sacrifice themselves for Harry so that he could defeat Voldemort.

Voldemort- She still couldn't think the name without feeling the familiar pangs of anger, grief, sadness and guilt. She wanted revenge so badly. She would torture him until he begged her to stop, and then when he had recovered, she would do it again, and again, and again, until he screamed for death. He would pay for what he had done to James and Lily.

But then she wouldn't be enough. She didn't have the power to kill him. That was Harry, it was his destiny. He alone had to kill Voldemort, it couldn't be any other way.

But he needed training. He wasn't near ready to face someone as powerful as Voldemort, though she doubted that the dark lord was ready to face a vengeful young man who had already had so many people taken away from him, and who was determined not lose anyone else.

She had seen the fire in his eyes last night. It reminded her of her darkest point, when she had been most vengeful. She carried that same fire.

After James and Lily were killed, Megan had become a shell of her former self. Not quite knowing where she was or where she was going, only focusing on making Voldemort and his followers suffer for what they did.

The night she met Alicia was the night it all could have ended. There were too many Death Eaters in that camp, more than she could handle. Maybe that's why she rushed in without a thought. She knew she probably wouldn't come out alive, and that was fine.

Death would be welcomed, rather than live each day, falling deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness.

It was hard to fight for survival when you had nothing left to live for.

But then she had seen a young girl with long blonde hair, shaking in the corner, her wrists and ankles bound in shackles. Her clothes were ripped, her body cut and bruised where she had been beaten and tortured for days.

Megan knew immediately that this girl was special. She had to make it out of this cave alive.

Megan managed to stupefy 4 of the Death Eaters and body bind another 3, which gave her just enough time to break the chains that held the girl to the wall.

She half expected the young girl to make a run for it, instead, she fought along side Megan until all of the dark lord's followers had been taken down.

The death toll for that day was 5 Death Eaters. They had stunned 5 and bound 3. Those 8 were now living out their days in a soulless existence in the wizarding prison Azkaban.

Megan's first reaction when the girl introduced herself as Albus Dumbledore's niece was to send her back to Hogwarts so she'd be safe, or let the Order of the Phoenix take her. She'd have qualified Aurors protecting her then.

Alicia was not one to back down from a fight though. She had of course, heard of Megan and her reputation. There weren't many in the wizarding world that hadn't.

Alicia had been out on official ministry business when she had been captured by

2 Death Eaters and taken to a camp in the mountains where she had been held for 6 days, beaten and tortured everyday.

She had felt something big coming on the sixth day. She just never expected a tall dark haired woman to rescue her. Especially one that didn't appear to have any will left to live. But she had been rescued, and she had fought to make sure that this woman made it out alive.

Megan had set out again the next day. Thirteen Death Eaters was a huge victory, but Voldemort was still out there, and she had to find him. Alicia had been very persistent in her efforts to convince Megan to let her join her, and Megan found that for some reason, she couldn't deny Alicia anything. And so they had traveled together, hunting down Death Eaters and criminals. Megan had refrained from killing every dark witch or wizard she came across, and now only killed when was absolutely necessary.

A soft, gentle hand on her shoulder shook her from her memories. Raising her head, she saw the reason she lived. Alicia smiled down at her, a mug of hot tea in her hand.

"Ah, you're up bright and early!" Megan grinned as she took the proffered mug and Alicia sat down on the damp grass next to her.

"I'm up early, I am not bright" Alicia grumbled in return. Megan chuckled. Alicia really wasn't a morning person.

"What got you up so early?" Megan asked.

"I heard Harry calling for 'Professor Dumbledore'. I guess he still has nightmares about that night." Alicia answered sadly.

"Apparently, he's always had nightmares. Most of them related to how Voldemort is feeling, or what he's planning."

"We should be thankful that he's dreaming of the past then, right?" Said Alicia.

"I think he's going to try and get into Harry's mind again, now that Albus isn't here to protect him anymore" Megan said carefully.

She didn't like bringing up the subject of her uncles passing. Alicia had convinced herself that it was her fault. She had found the location of the locket and had let her uncle know. She should have researched it more, maybe even tried to retrieve the locket herself, she was after all younger and healthier than he. Dumbledore was too old to endure the trials of the lake.

"We should have been there, Meg. We could have saved him!" she whispered, trying her best not to cry.

"He knew the risks involved Alicia. He knew that Malfoy was up to something, and that Snape had performed an unbreakable vow. You know that he would not have had it any other way. He died protecting Harry … something he had sworn to do from the day Harry was born."

"I know, I know. I just can't help thinking that we could have done something. We could have got Snape!" Alicia cried.

"We're not sure whether he's good or bad yet." Megan reminded her.

"He killed my uncle Megan, and now he's with them. Are you really willing to give him the benefit of the doubt?"

"You gave it to me!" Megan told her.

"That's different. You never killed innocent people that made a difference to the world."

"I didn't care Ali. If I thought they were evil, I killed them. It was as simple as that. I didn't give them a chance. Do you have an idea how it feels to live with that regret. I almost killed Sirius because I thought he was guilty. We have to be sure before we go after him."

Alicia had had enough. She couldn't stand there and listen to her best friend defend that murderer. She stood up angrily and looked down at Megan.

"He is a coward. My uncle could do greater things than Snape could even dream of, yet he killed him to protect that smarmy brat so that he'd stay alive and join Voldemort. Whether he's good or evil, he doesn't deserve the benefit of the doubt".

And with that, she stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind her, not sparing a thought for anyone else who might still be in bed.

Megan knew she had gone too far. She knew better than to defend the wizard that murdered the greatest wizard ever to live, but they had to be sure. And no matter if Alicia agreed with it or not, they would get to the truth.

After a few minutes of sitting outside, Megan decided to head back in. when she walked into the kitchen, Hermione was standing at the oven, attempting a cooked breakfast. It wasn't going to well to say the least.

The bacon was burnt, the sausages were split and the eggs still had bits of their shell in the frying pan.

"Do you want me to take over?" she asked, taking pity on the young girl as she watched her getting flustered.

"Would you mind? I didn't want to use magic, but it turns out I'm a better witch than I am a cook."

Megan chuckled. She remembered the days when she was a disaster in the kitchen. But then Alicia had taught her shortly after they had started travelling together.

"Did you see Alicia just now?" Megan asked, trying to sound as cool as possible.

"Yes. Erm, I don't mean to pry but… did you two have a fight?" Hermione asked, worrying her bottom lip.

"Just a bit of a disagreement" Megan replied off-handed.

"Oh, ok. As long as it's nothing serious"

"We'll be alright. I'll let her cool off then apologize later" Megan told her as she turned over the sausages, now cooking nicely in the frying pan.

"Are you and Ron ok? I heard raised voices last night."

"MmHmm" Hermione nodded. "You'll get used to it" she said wryly.

"Get used to what?" a gruff voice sounded from the doorway. Hermione and Megan turned to see Ron standing there, scratching his head and messing up his already sleep tousled hair.

"You being your usual prat self" Hermione replied teasingly.

"Blimey, I only just got up, what could I have done in that time?" he asked indignantly.

Hermione didn't answer. Instead, she turned back to the oven and started counting.

She reached number 7 when Ron got nearer, sniffing, and cried;

"Hermione, you burnt the bacon!"

"And there it is" she moaned.

Megan watched the two of them with a smile as they bounced insults off at each other. They weren't hateful remarks, it was almost as if they were playing a game. The twinkle in their eyes as their voices got louder. She had, of course, been warned about these two teenagers. How their arguments were legendary and the real reason behind them. Not that you needed to witness an argument between them to see that they were crazy about each other.

Hermione continued to go around the kitchen, gathering up plates and cutlery ready for breakfast, all the while still arguing.

Megan wasn't even sure what this argument was about. It had long gone past the point of burnt bacon.

Finally, the food was cooked and Megan began scooping food onto the plates. When she finished piling one with sausages, bacon, eggs and beans, Hermione picked it up, whirled around and shoved it into Ron's hands.

"Breakfasts ready!" she smiled with forced sweetness.

"Ah thanks. I'm starving" Ron said cheekily, popping a forkful of beans into his mouth and walking over to the table.

Megan chuckled at the look of pure disbelief on Hermione's face.

'Alicia is going to have so much fun this week' Megan thought fondly, 'She's a sucker for a love story'.

Harry and Alicia joined the others shortly after. Alicia sat eating her breakfast in silence. Megan tried talking to her but knew deep down that she wouldn't get any response.

Both Ron and Harry glanced questioningly at Hermione for an answer, but she merely shrugged, indicating that she didn't know anything.

"So how are your dueling abilities?" Megan asked, pushing her empty plate away from her.

"Not bad. We managed to fight off the Death Eaters at the department of mysteries and then at the school" replied Harry.

"But we were all injured at the Ministry, and we had a lucky potion at school. Although our summer was spent training". Hermione added.

"We have a training schedule that was made up for us which we have to practice everyday" Harry continued "We can fight them".

Megan nodded. Watching the three friends. They were still so young, it wasn't fair that they had to go through this, but she needed to know how capable they were. Everybody had finished their breakfast by now, and they were all sitting up, ready to discuss whatever would get them ready.

"Would you be able to kill one of them?" She asked. She noticed them all tense up. It was clear that not one of them were quite ready to do that.

"I will… if we have no other choice, I will" Ron said darkly.

"Would you be able to kill a friend, someone you trusted?" They all appeared slightly confused about this. "If one of you were to turn evil, if one of you joined them, would you be able to kill them?"

Harry, Ron and Hermione were horrified. That thought had never crossed their minds. It was something they would never doubt.

"Have you ever had to kill someone you trusted?" Hermione asked anxiously. Not even sure she wanted to know the answer to that.

"Growing up, my sister was my best friend. We did everything together. I trusted her with my life. She was ambitious though, wanted to be the Minister of Magic. One day, she was approached by a man that offered her more than that." Alicia told them sadly.

"It wasn't a case of good and evil anymore, it was all about the power. Riddle's offer was too good for her to turn down."

"She became a Death Eater!" Harry said knowingly. Alicia nodded.

"Yes. She left and no-one could find her. Then, we had a lucky break. I finally found her, but when it came down to it, I couldn't do it. I knew that she was evil… but she was still my sister." Her voice cracked and a lone tear slid down her cheek. It wasn't often that she talked about her sister. It still broke her heart, even after all these years.

Megan watched her partner for a moment, then forgetting their previous argument, crossed the room and sat down next to Alicia. Placing a strong arm around her shoulders, she continued the story.

"One night in a bar, we came across a group of Death Eaters in disguise. We started to fight, and I eventually faced her sister. I had already been injured, she played on that and I collapsed from the pain. She was about to kill me when Alicia stepped in."

"I had already lost one best friend, I couldn't lose another. It was my darkest moment. I killed my own sister because otherwise, she would've killed Megan, then I'd be as good as dead… we all would."

The two women shared a loving glance and Alicia leaned into Megan's embrace.

The trio looked at each other. Could they really kill one of them. Sure, they'd all die for one another, but to actually look into the eyes of someone you loved, then take their life, with everything they hade been through and shared. It would be too hard. They all glanced down at the floor, all thinking the same thing. There would be no way they could.

"It may come to that. You need to be prepared for every possibility." Megan said sternly, acknowledging the expressions of the three friends.

"How about spiritual connections?" Alicia asked. She was answered by three confused faces.

"It will help a great deal. A spiritual connection, especially within a bond as strong as yours, will provide a certain amount of protection, as well as make you stronger both individually and as a collective. The downside, of course, is that if one of you is killed, the power loss will weaken those of you remaining. But, essentially, it could be the difference in winning this war" Alicia explained.

"What kind of protection will it provide?" Ron asked.

"In a sense, we're sharing our powers. With spiritual also comes emotional. Our powers are channelled through our emotions. Because of the intensity of our feelings for each other, our bond is strong enough to carry our powers to one another. It creates a sort of barrier around us that would mean certain curses couldn't touch us, unless with the intent to kill." Hermione explained.

Megan and Alicia both stared at her, completely dumbstruck. Not sure how a girl of her age could know all about an ancient ritual. Harry and Ron, however, looked as though this was a daily occurrence. Of course, it was. They were all too aware of how brilliant she was.

"She's read every book ever made!" Ron explained somewhat proudly.

"So, unless the killing curse is used, we're practically invincible?" Harry asked.

"You're not invincible as such. The connection is stronger when you're together, and it's only as strong as your love for each other. But there is a ritual that comes along with it." Megan informed him.

After a few moments thought, Harry spoke.

"I think Ron and Hermione should do it"

"We're not doing this without you Harry!" exclaimed Ron.

"You have to. I'm the one that has to face Voldemort, it's kill or be killed for me. If the worst happens, I want you two to still be protected."

"It will be stronger if there is another person sharing their love and power." Alicia cut in.

"You can't get much more love between those two!" Harry cried, wildly waving his hands towards them. Hermione and Ron both looked up at him, throwing daggers. If looks could kill, all they'd need to do is see Voldemort and this whole mess would be over.

"Oh, stop it!" he shouted at them. "I don't want you two to be left unprotected if I'm not here."

"We're not doing this without you Harry" Ron repeated.

"If you want us protected, you'll have to join in. and that is the end of that!" Hermione told him matter of factly, arms crossed over her chest.

"Hold on, if all it takes for us to be protected is this ritual, why isn't everyone doing it?" Ron asked, surely that made sense.

"It's very old magic and is practically unheard of. Also, blood rituals have been forbidden for centuries." Megan explained.

"Why does it always have to involve blood?" Ron groaned. Harry and Hermione grinned at their mutual best friend. As brave as he was, he could be a little squeamish at times.

"So what do we have to do then?" Harry asked, finally giving in.

"It's actually very simple. Megan will make the potion while I teach the three of you how to connect your minds and entwine your spirit. When that's all done, it's just a case of drinking the potion, joining your blood and a few chants." explained Alicia.

"And how do we create the blood bond exactly?" Ron asked, his face still scrunched up in disgust.

"Have you ever heard of 'Blood Brothers'?" Hermione asked, to which he shrugged his shoulders to say he hadn't.

"Basically, we have to cut our hands, then hold hands so our blood joins together" supplied Harry.

"Except where there's three of us, we'll need to sit in a circle and cut both hands. Then I should imagine we chant the ritual whilst holding hands and keeping our spirits connected"

"Very good Hermione" Alicia praised her, still impressed by this girls knowledge.

"Ok, but why exactly do we need to join our blood?" Ron asked again.

"Blood is the basic essence of life. By joining our blood, it seals a part of our souls together forever. So, we'll be able to call upon the others power when we need it. No matter how far apart we are." Hermione explained.

"We need to get on with my work out for the day. Would you like to join us?" Megan asked.

The trio looked at each other. What with spiritual connections added to their list of things to do before they left The Hollow, more exercise was one thing they could really go without.

"I'm still quite tired actually, might take a nap before I start on everything." said Harry, feigning a yawn.

"I really should continue researching" Hermione added as she slowly backed out of the kitchen. The two older women turned their attention to the remaining red-head who gulped and said nervously;

"What she said" the quickly left the kitchen and followed Hermione up the stairs.

Once they were alone, Megan turned to face Alicia, taking her hand in hers.

"I'm sorry about earlier. It's just, we have to know the truth. Believe me, I want the greasy git to suffer for what he did, but we do need to know."

"I know" Alicia agreed. "But you were prepared to kill Sirius without knowing the truth, and even when you did find out he was innocent, you were still wary of him. Therefore, don't expect me to welcome him back with open arms."

"And I would never ask that of you. Lets just forget about this morning and focus on getting these kids ready, yeah?"

Alicia looked up at Megan and smiled innocently. "Do I get to have some fun while we're here?" she asked.

Megan grinned, knowing that the 'fun' Alicia meant involved Ron and Hermione.

"You spotted that huh?"

"Oh yes!" She grinned.


End file.
